The elegant Ely Place, just to the north of Holborn Circus, was until relatively recently, considered to be a part of Cambridgeshire, privately owned by the Bishops of Ely. Even today, the street has its own gatehouse and beadles. The historical site boasts an extraordinary history and was once the site of the Bishop’s Palace and Hatton House. It’s still home to the Chapel of St Etheldreda, parts of which date back to the 13th Century and Ye Old Mitre Public House, originally built in 1546.

In 1772, the estate was sold to the Crown and the old palace, now in a ruinous state, was demolished. The handsome rows of townhouses that now stand on either side of the street were built in the same year. Today its buildings are mostly occupied by prestigious legal firms, but its colourful array of former residents are still celebrated and its history has very much been kept alive.

It’s always a pleasure to be invited to work in London’s older buildings, effectively becoming a part of the care and restoration required to keep them alive for generations to come and no job is considered too small; this was just a one-day project, replacing a rotten wooden Hop Over and a rusty flight of Access Stairs on the 4th floor with smart, low-maintenance, long-lasting GRP equivalents.

They were constructed using QuartzGrip® Anti-Slip GRP Standard Mesh Open Grating and Universal GRP Structural Profiles for the framework and handrailing. Bright yellow Anti-Slip Stair Nosing highlights the potential trip hazard, further reducing the risk of slips and falls. Both were built in our Suffolk-based workshop and transported in chunks for quick and easy fitting onsite.

Old or new, is it time to upgrade your site access? We are happy to supply anything from the smallest hop over to extensive maintenance platforms and multi-storey staircases. For more information call us on 01206 396 446.

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